If it were Different Would you do the same for me?
by magikarpfever14
Summary: What would happen if Ib was replaced by Garry and Garry replaced by Ib? Would the change of roles shift the outcome of their adventure through the art gallery or would Ib's and Garry's friendship strengthen thus escaping the demented art gallery?
1. Chapter 1

Hey, so this is the first chapter of my Ib story, it's basically like in the description and picture if Garry was the young hero and Ib the older guardian…person. However this story is going to have my own little twist meaning it's not going to be entirely based on the Ib story, there will be a few of my own touches, there might be a few character death and there might not be….who knows? Please remember to review and favorite if you like the story so far but if you're a lurker than that's fine to, oh and there will be no Garry x Ib pairing unless you squint, do a backflip, and give me 20 bucks. Also yes I will still be working on my Corpse Party story but I noticed how much mistakes are in it so I'm probably going to edit all of it than post some new chapter

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The stone walls cast a looming shadow over the two making it have a sort of desolate feeling to it; there were also vines that climbed up the walls that gave the museum a sort of elegant feeling. The chilly and frigid air also sent chills up his body but the warm hand he was holding made him feel slightly better.

"Come on Garry, you'll be warmer once we go in the museum," His mother commented.

Garry in return nodded his head and started climbing up the stone steps. With each step he wobbled a bit but was determined to climb this mountain of gray stone. When he climbed the last step he grinned triumphantly and when he looked at his mom who was positively beaming at him his smile grew even more.

"Good job Garry! You are quite the climber!" His mother complimented "But now let's go inside.

Once the two entered they were greeted with a flush of hot air produced by the central heat of the museum. Even though they had just entered they were greeted by colorful walls of paintings and each one seemed to splash the plain white wall with a burst of color and the whole museum smelled of very old acrylic and oil based paints. And it seemed there were not just paintings but all kinds of other creations as well. In Garry's young mind it as like they had just stepped into a huge painting, full of colors and light. Like a whole new world where paintings are alive and where slashes of paint warped into new sceneries.

"Do you think you could adventure through the art gallery while I pay for admission? His mother asked, snapping Garry out of his art induced trance.

"Yes!" Garry replied while puffing out his chest to try to make himself look stronger.

Doing so made his mother laugh and put a gently hand on his curly light purple hair "Aright my brave adventurer, just make sure you don't disturb the other people browsing the gallery."

Garry gave his mom a nod and scampered off, determined to prove to his mom that he was brave enough to traverse through the art gallery alone. Along the way he gazed at the numerous paintings plastered against the walls. Try as he might though he couldn't really read some of the titles, there were a lot of really complicated words his nine year old mind couldn't decode. There were not only paintings there were sculptures to. One sculpture Garry found particularly interesting was one of a big blue rose. Near the sculpture was a plaque with the sculptures name on it, but like with all the other art he couldn't read it.

"'Em-em…bodi…" Garry muttered, trying to sound it out.

"The name is 'Embodiment of Spirit'" A kind voice suddenly said.

Turning around Garry saw that the source of the voice was from a very tall lady. She had brown chocolate colored hair and was wearing a long blackish greenish looking coat with brown fur on it.

"Oh…thanks…" Garry thanked her, feeling very shy all of a sudden.

"You're welcome," She replied with a smile "It's nice to see someone so young interested in art, you must be having a fun time adventuring through this museum."

Garry could tell with only a few seconds of talking to this person that she was well…very nice. Overall this person seemed bright and inviting, she also seemed very classy. However Garry's limited vocabulary could only describe her as 'very pretty and nice.'

"Well what are you doing standing around here? Shouldn't you be exploring more? I bet there are a bunch of other things that are waiting for you to discover them!" The kind lady declared brightly.

Realizing that he did indeed had more to explore Garry nodded and ran off, eager to discover more. Traveling past sculptures and paintings Garry finally ended up in a quite white hallway. The only thing of art he found was a big painting with all these colors merged together. Although it was eerily quiet in the hallway Garry was determined to be a brave adventurer and discover what was up with that painting. Taking careful steps toward the painting Garry went up to it and examined it. Upon closer inspection the whole thing was like different paintings clashed together, it was another painting world. And at the bottom of the painting was a little golden plaque that had the title of this piece.

It took a little bit but Garry managed to figure out what it said "F-ab..ri …ca ted…er…Fabricated…World…Fabricated World?"

Garry looked curiously at the painting again, he of course had no idea what 'fabricated' meant but the 'world' part was a clue that this painting was indeed supposed to be another world, but as soon as Garry realized this the lights suddenly flickered and for a second the whole hallways was completely dark making Garry scream in fright. However after a few seconds the lights tuned back on 'T-that was scary…I mean that was nothing! But I think I should go meet up with mom….' Deciding that was the right course Garry made his way out of the hallway in search of his mom. Though as he continued his search he realized that the museum didn't have any people in it, he was all alone, plus to make matters worse it seemed like the lighting of museum dimmed quite a bit making the paintings and sculptures cast and eerie shadow.

At the same time Garry was beginning to panic, for he was alone in this big dark scary place 'I-I shouldn't panic…this is like a part of my adventure! Ya…' Though as much as Garry wanted to think positive he was too scared, but when he stumbled upon another painting he screamed in fight. The paintings was so big it seemed they had to place it on the floor, but what scared Garry was it was a painting of the ocean and of a big deep sea fish that looked like it was staring at him with its big blank eyes. As much as Garry wanted to turn away in fight he found himself edging closer and closer to it 'What a strange painting…'Sliding under the red rope that was around the painting Garry stood and looked at the painting before cautiously stepping on it with his foot. Instated of the painting being solid it felt like the painting was some sort of liquid, like actual water. Since Garry was unprepared for it to be so he slipped into the painting and was soon slowly drifting down under the painting and falling in a deep unconsciousness.

'Black…that's all I see, and I'm floating, I see nothing…nothing but darkness, maybe I'm just sleeping, no this feels way too real. Then where am I? A-and where's' my mom? I'm getting scared…' Though as much as Garry wanted to scream for help he was unable to do so, he throat could not perform that task as much as he tried. Even as panic started to creep in his mind he was unable to do anything but stay still and stay floating in the black void. As he continued to float in the everlasting blackness he thought he saw a light '….wait what is that…a light? That light… it's it feels so weird, it's not warm but it's like giving off something, maybe, it's lonely? I think I should try comforting it, plus I'm lonely to….' It seemed the light read Garry's thoughts for the light soon started to envelop him in its illumination and as it covered his body the last thing Garry heard was a quite plea for help.

Garry felt himself hit the ground with a thud. Although he was sure he fell with a great amount of force he did not trip or sway out of lack as balance. The first thing he noticed without even opening his eyes was dank and oily smell that filled his nose. Quickly opening his eyes upon the realization of the musty smell of this place Garry screamed with fright. Colorful walls greeted him, paintings off all sorts were scattered across the wall but instead of a warm feeling the paintings gave off an ominous feeling, and the smell of acrylic paint lingered in the musty air 'W-what is this place? And what am I doing here? I want my mom! I want to go him.'

Soon Garry was crying, hot tears streaked down his face and his chest heaved with each sob. Unknowingly stepping back from the wall of paintings Garry bumped into a solid object, which made him quickly turned around in fright, but was somewhat relieved to find that it was just a table with a vase filled with water, but in the vase a beautiful blue rose, the rose was too beautiful to be real 'Wow this rose…it's so pretty!' At first Garry thought it was fake because of its coloring, for how can a rose be blue? The only rose he saw before were red ones and those were in a picture book he was reading. But upon closer inspection it seemed so real…and the rose…it was like it was calling him…like it was meant for him. Garry didn't know if he would get in trouble if he took it but he really wanted it.

Finally Garry decided to gently take the rose. When he did he felt a warm and inviting feeling rush over him 'This rose…I get the feeling that this rose is important…I better not lose it…but where am I?' I seemed the rose also gave him a new rush of confidence and took his mind of the situation for the time being. 'Maybe I should stay put and wait for help…but then again maybe this is part of my adventure! Ya!' With the rose in hand Garry started walking through the hallways of paintings, hoping to find a way out of this desolate place.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello my darlings! Sorry for the wait, but here's chapter 2! And thank you for the followings and favorites, but don't forget to review to!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ib, if I did I wouldn't have canceled the making of Ib 2! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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_**It's so cold, lonely, and frightening**_

_**All I want is your warmth**_

_**For you to pat my head in pride**_

_**To be with you**_

_**Yet you trapped me and froze me in this timeless hell**_

_**So now I can only stand here for eternity**_

_**As you rot away and decay**_

_**While time just brushes past me with a tone of dry humor**_

_**In this sorrow filled nightmare we call life**_

The numerous paintings and sculptures gave off an ominous shadow that seemed to creep along the walls and floors, as if reaching out to Garry in an attempt to drag him into the depths of oblivion. Instead of succumbing to fear Garry tried to stay positive 'T-this must be the scary part of all adventures where it's supposed to test your courage or something…' Though it didn't keep Garry from jumping at every noise. There was a faint sound in particular that was making him on edge. It sounded like someone was dragging their feet, almost shuffling, along the hallway but no matter where Garry looked there was no one there, but at the same time the shuffling was getting louder…and louder. It was getting so loud to the point where Garry started walking a little faster. No matter how quick he ran the noise continued to grow louder and Garry was getting more scared 'W-what is that noise!? Is it a ghost?' So many thoughts were running through his head, mostly negative versions of the 'what if?' scenarios. Soon Garry found himself running as fast as his legs could carry him, the shuffling noise sounded like it was right behind him, but he didn't dare look behind him. Garry was practically going to be sick with fright; he was clenching his rose so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Just as the noise got as close as possible and Garry was ready to burst into tears, the shuffling stopped making Garry freeze 'It…stopped?' Even if the noise stopped Garry didn't dare look behind him or move. He found it hard to believe that whatever was chasing him was gone; after all it was so close 'Maybe…maybe I scared it off!' In a flash of courage at that thought Garry turned around and saw that nothing was there.

"I must have scared it off ya!" Garry declared triumphantly.

His victory was short lived however when a strong force seemed to make contact with Garry and push him roughly. The force of the push was so strong Garry flew through the air, absolutely shocked. Everything seemed like it slowed down as Garry was skyrocketed into the air, the paintings turned into a blur and the air was being pushed out of him, yet he couldn't scream. Finally time caught up and Garry made his way back to the ground. Garry landed with a thud and for a moment he just laid there, feeling incredibly winded. At first Garry started getting panicky because he couldn't move, tears started to well up in his eyes yet he forced them back down, he didn't want to admit defeat, but then feeling gradually returned to his muscles 'I think I'm okay, whatever pushed must have just wanted to shock me.' Now that Garry was able to move again he sat up and looked around, and when he noticed that there was a shadow behind him he screamed in fright and then turned around to confront whatever was behind him. To his relief it was just a statue, though what freaked him out was that it was headless. The statue was also wearing a light red dress, which reminded him of a red dress his mother would wear sometimes 'That's right, my mom is probably so worried right now, I have to stop fooling around and find her!'

Garry was about to turn around when he saw a metallic object in the statue's grasp, looking more closely it looked like an old fashioned key, like those skeleton keys from those old Victorian mansions his mom always liked to talk about 'A key…and if there's a key that must mean there's a door, and if there's a door there may be a way of getting out of here! This is exactly like an adventure, where the explorer finds keys and traverses dungeons!' Garry felt the spirit of adventure swell up in his chest and he greedily grabbed the key out of the statues hands. The key was cool to the touch and was very plain looking. Pocketing the key Garry turned around and was about to search for the door that could be unlocked with the key until he heard a thump and a creek coming from behind him making Garry stop in fright. He then hastily turned around, but nothing was there besides the statue, he could have sworn he heard something…'Maybe I'm just imagining things,' Garry thought before turning back and taking a few more steps. However after the fourth step he saw something move from his peripheral vision 'T-that statue, did it move!?' Carefully turning his head Garry let out a sigh of relief, the statue hadn't moved and inch from its original spot 'Come on Garry, there's nothing there, you need to focus!' In determination Garry took a few steps forward but as soon as he took those few steps he felt a cold metal hand grab his arm from behind. Screaming in horror Garry turned around and saw that the statue had a tight grip on him 'S-statues aren't supposed to move!' Garry tried struggling out of its grasp but the more he struggled the tighter the statue's grip got.

"Let go of me!" Garry cried.

Instead of hurting him the statue grabbed his rose out of his other hand, which confused him at first but when the statue got hold of his rose it started plucking the petals from his rose, Garry gasped in pain. His whole body was on fire and he felt his energy being sapped away 'W-what's happening? My-my rose…' It seemed Garry was finally able to register what was going for when the statue was about to pick off another petal Garry made a wild grab for his rose and managed to struggle out of the statues grasp. He then made a run for it. Garry wasn't too sure if the statue was following or not but at this point he knew he had to try and get away. His feet pounding on the concrete floor and sweat was starting to form at his brow, yet he didn't stop, well at least not until he saw a door down the corridor he was running in. As soon as he got to the door he turned the nob, but his heart sank when he saw it was locked 'Come on open!' Sharply inhaling Garry looked back and saw that the statue was still indeed chasing him. After a few seconds of initial shock Garry remembered that he still had that key 'That's right! Oh please let this be the right key!' Garry than got the key out and jammed it into the keyhole. When he heard a click he cried out in relief before entering the room and slamming the door shut. After a few minutes of him standing still to make sure the headless statue couldn't open the door Garry sighed in relief and slid down to the floor. His legs felt like lead and right now he wanted to rest 'Just a little rest won't hurt….' Soon fatigue washed over him and his eyelids were growing heavy, and with a loud yawn Garry fell asleep.

"W-where am I?" Garry questioned with wide fearful eyes.

He couldn't see anything besides blackness, but soon the room started to lighten up. The sudden light revealed that he was in a red room and was surrounding by paintings and sculptors, but the pieces of art were moving. Some were dragging themselves across the floor toward him and others were staggering over to him. Garry wanted to scream in fright but he found himself unable to do so, or move at all. Pieces of art now had him surrounded and Garry braced himself, but to his surprise instead of attacking him they stood still 'What's going on?' He asked himself. Now scanning the numerous works of art Garry saw that instead of a menacing aura…they looked sad. For some reason Garry felt pity and sympathy well up in him, they almost looked like they were trapped.

Unable to really do anything Garry just sort of stood there until he heard a sad voice that seemed to be coming from all directions "H…el…p"

'Wait what? Did…did someone say help?'

"W-ho are you? What do you want? Are you in trouble?" Garry asked hesitantly.

"…Help…" The voice repeated more clearly.

As much as Garry wanted to help the voice he couldn't, his body was immobile. The room was silent for the next couple of seconds until everything started to fade, and once again everything was dark.

Garry woke up with a start 'What a weird dream….' Even after the nap he still felt tired, and taking a glance at his rose it was still missing a few petals. With a heavy sigh Garry stood up and looked around, he hadn't properly investigated this area because of that whole nap thing. What caught his eyes was a wooden table with a crystal like vase on top of it that was filled with clear pure water. It was a rather welcoming sight; after all it wasn't a freaky painting or sculpture. Still, that dream he had was rather unsettling. The paintings and sculptors seemed so sad. Trying to forget about it Garry went up the vase 'Maybe I should put my rose in here, it would be a lot safer in the vase, and flowers like water, so maybe it would heal it?' Deciding on that Garry went ahead and placed his rose in the vase that held clear and clean water. When the stem of the rose touched the water Garry felt a warm feeling course through his body, energy flowed through him and he felt fully restored, not only that but his rose was vibrant and had all its petal again. Amazed, Garry looked himself over 'Wait, I dipped the rose in the vase water and it got all healthy again, and at the same time I did to, this vase must be a sort of healing spot,' Garry theorized. This made Garry optimistic again, for he now could regain his health by just putting his rose in a vase of water. Garry couldn't help but run down the hall in excitement, but halfway down the hall he felt his foot catch on something making him immediately fall to the ground. Now on the floor Garry rubbed his head and looked around to see what could have tripped him. Looking around Garry spotted what, or should I say who tripped him. It seemed there was a person sprawled out on the floor, her hair was a mangled mess, though he could tell before what ever happened the person had smooth chocolate brown hair. She was also wearing a greenish coat with brown fur, but her right arm was outstretched and her hand was grasping something. Gerry was shocked he was a little scared 'Who is that? Is she another person? She looks familiar…'

On all fours Garry crawled toward her and gave her a gentle nudge on her arm "Hey miss…are you okay?"

The woman only groaned in response and coughed, she seemed in a lot of pain. Garry inched a little closer to her and saw that there was a few red petals scattered around her and a few splotches of blood as well making Garry gasp in horror 'Something must have happened to her rose!' Garry didn't know what to do until he saw a glint of metal in her hand that was outstretched 'What is that? Maybe it's something I can use to help her.' Trying his best not to hurt the unconscious lady he went over to her fist and tried to carefully pry her hand open. After a couple tries he finally got her hand open and saw what hidden treasure she was desperately holding on to. It was a small key, a very small key that shined dully in the lighting 'A key? I don't think a key is going to help…' Even with that thought Garry looked at the injured woman and took the key, he thought he could make some use of it somehow, like something to help him find her rose 'You know this is like the part of the adventure where the hero saves a…what do you call it…oh right a damsel in distress! I must help her, for it is my duty to help anyone who is hurt!' Pocketing the key Garry looked at her one more time, and smiled as if to reassure the unconscious stranger.

"Don't worry, I'll find your rose and make everything better," He promised her.

Garry than started walking away, only this time a flame of determination was burning brightly in his chest, he had to save her, but while he was walking he noticed a small trail of red rose petals and blood 'Maybe this will lead me to where her rose is.' Though the blood made him think of what could have hurt, but he was to determined to go back in fear. After a while the trail stopped right where a door was. Knowing that this was probably where her rose was and where whatever monster that hurt her was he tried the door knob only to see it was locked. It took a few moments for Garry to realize that this was probably what the key was for making him chuckle half nervously and half sheepishly. Taking out the small key Garry put it in the key whole and turned it which after he heard a small click signaling that the door was now open. Garry than took a deep breath before opening the door, when he entered he noticed that there was a few more red rose petals and splotches of blood scattered across the room which made him shiver. However when he looked toward the corner of the room he screamed, a painting was tearing at a bright red rose, but what was more startling was that the painting was of a woman in a red dress with long brown hair, though she only had an upper half. Her lower body seemed like it was cut off and stuck on a canvas. Though when Garry looked at it for a few seconds longer, the paintings almost seemed…desperate. Garry tried to move away and figure out how to get the rose back but at soon as he took a step the painting dropped the mutilated rose and ran full speed at Garry. The painting was surprisingly fast for it seemed like the only way it could move was dragging itself by its arms. Starting to panic Garry suddenly felt his arms and legs move by themselves and he felt adrenaline course through his veins, Garry practically threw himself to the corner of the room and rolled back onto the ground. He then made a hasty grab for the maimed rose and bolted out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

With the rose in his grasp Garry collapsed on the floor and closed his eyes, it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. A certain pride and sense of accomplishment was also blooming in him, for he saved the lady's rose, now all he had to do was heal it and give to back to her. With that thought Garry stood and started walking back to the vase and the lady. When he got back to the crystal like vase that was filled with water he carefully slid the damaged rose in the vase, instantly the rose went into full bloom and was back to full health. Garry couldn't help but gawk at how beautiful the rose was, it was bright and inviting, and the rose was all around lovely and had a classy sort of appeal toward it. Taking the rose back from the vase Garry than ran up to where the lady was. As soon as he got there he noticed the lady was already beginning to wake up, she looked much better now and was practically glowing with health. Garry watched as the lady sat up and when she spotted Garry with her rose she looked a little surprised but then smiled.

"You have my rose…did you get it back to me?" She asked him with a warm smile.

Garry nodded and felt a sense of pride well up in him making him stand a littler straighter as he handed her back her rose.

Once she had her rose back she smiled even more and stood up "Well thank you, it must have been quite the experience getting it back, I can't thank you enough, you must be very brave."

"I-it was nothing," Garry stammered feeling his ears grow hot.

The lady laughed and put a hand on his head, which made him think of his mother. This person gave off the same aura as his mom, which made him feel at ease.

"Well I'm also glad to see I'm not alone, gosh you must have traveled through this museum all by yourself, you've got a lot of spirit, oh I haven't even told you my name yet, my name is Ib," She introduced herself.

'Ib...' Garry thought, to him it was a very nice name, it sounded so profession but also unique

"My name is Garry," He replied with a smile, knowing that he was not alone in this weird art gallery, and that this person, Ib, was now a new friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Asdfghjkl I can't believe it! Kouri updated Ib oh my gosh! I guess I'm a little late to the party but still! I'm not going to spoil anything but let me just say the two new endings T_T the feels and dat dungeon. This is better than an Ib two oh my gosh…*cries* Anyways here's the next chapter and feel free to share your thoughts on the update also thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows, keep them coming!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ib in any way, but I wish I did, seriously I would traverse through the art gallery for ownership…jk/isnotjokingshot

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**Why do I long for you?**

**When this feeling only caused me pain**

**Since I was brought here I have suffered inner turmoil**

**That gouges out my heart till there is nothing more**

**Yet I still want, I still need**

**Some say that wanting is human nature**

**I say it's because of the sad world we live in**

"I'm not sure how things got to this point either," Ib informed him "It seems like we wound up in a very similar situation even down to these roses as wounds appear on me when my rose loses it petals."

Garry nodded and clutched his rose for it seemed both of their life's depended on their colorful roses.

"But enough with the depressing stuff, I can't thank you enough for saving me, you're like my true knight in shining armor!" Ib exclaimed while clapping her hands together.

Feeling his ears grow hot Garry puffed out his chest and saluted "I'm just doing my job ma'am."

Ib giggled at what Garry said and patted his head comfortably, which made him blush.

"Now we better find a way out of this place I don't think it's very healthy for us if we stay any longer, so let's ge going, what do you say Garry, may I bet you partner in this little adventure?" Ib asked him.

Garry's eyes widened at what she said and quickly nodded in response, eager to have a partner. This was turning out to be more and more like and adventure from books and movies, like Indiana Jones, all he needed now was a whip, a hat, and a cool adventurer name.

"Let's get going than!" Ib declared while taking Garry's hand.

Garry felt his face flush when her hand made contact with his, it made him feel safe and gave him a new motive, to protect his partner at all costs through this labyrinth of maniac pieces of art. The gallery felt a lot brighter with someone at his side. Instead of a dark dreary place it felt like a new place to explore and a challenge in need of a challenger, or should I say challengers. Through the endless hallways and attacking paintings Garry could already feel his and Ib's friendship grow stronger, like a rose bud blooming. Soon the two found themselves in another room, but this room was strange, it had a big white couch with red thorns piercing it in the middle of it, while books were scattered all across the floor.

"Well this is a strange piece," Ib commented as she gazed at the couch sculpture "I think I vaguely remember it in the art gallery, what do you think Garry?"

Instead of answering Garry was looking at something else, it was a painting, right on the back wall of his mother, but her cheeks was sullen, her face was a ghastly pale white, and her eyes, her once sparkling eyes were hazy and clouded, like a dead fish.

"M-mom…" Garry whimpered.

"Hm Garry what's wrong, did you just…" She started to say but trailed off when she saw the portrait of his mom "Ooh…um is that your mother? You both have quite the resemblance, I-I'm sure she's fine, it's just a painting…"

No matter what she said it seemed Garry was completely out if 'Oh dear, it seemed like that painting struck something in him, I guess the only thing I can do is to keep his mind off it,' Ib thought.

"Hey why don't we check out some of these books," Ib suggested with a gesture toward the pile of books scattered around the area.

Picking up a random book she examined it, the book had a soft leather binding and had the word 'diary' on it in gold print.

"Hey look what I found Garry!" She exclaimed while ushering him over.

Garry shuffled over to where she was, but he seemed very sluggish and tired.

"Garry are you okay?" She asked him with a concerned look.

He nodded in response and gave her a weak smile, which wasn't very convincing. Though Ib didn't press on the subject, she didn't want to upset him. Once Garry was at her side she opened the book and flipped through it, there were mostly weird sketches and messages she could not make out that were scrawled out in ink across the yellowed pages. Ib did however, managed to make out one entry, it was the last one in the book.

"Ah here we go, let's see….It's said that spirits dwell in objects into which people put their feelings. I've always thought that, if that's true, then the same must be true of artwork. So today, I shall immerse myself in work, so as impart my own spirit into creations." Ib read aloud.

After a few moments of silence Ib cleared her throat "Well that was certainty interesting."

Garry just shrugged and looked away, like he wanted to shrink away and disappear. It saddened Ib, the way he was acting, but she wasn't really sure how to handle things without making it worse 'I can't even make Garry happy again, I'm the worst…I think I should get him as far away from the painting of his mother as possible…'

Ib than dropped the book to the ground and extended her arm out to Garry "Let's get going, shall we?"

Instead of taking her hand Garry's shoulder slumped and he started walking toward the door. Ib felt a little piece of her hearts chip off, making her silently curse this demented place for making an innocent boy like Garry feel so much remorse and sadness, it made her feel sick. She was very tempted and was actually going to run up to him and give Garry a big hug, that was until Garry tried the door knob and found it was locked. Ib's eyes widened at a sound also coming from outside the room, it sounded like someone or something was trying to break down the plaster walls.

"Garry, be careful I think something is trying to get in," Ib warned him "Oh what should we do."

The thumping noise got gradually louder and Ib Garry's arm at the last second before whatever was trying to get in broke the wall. It turned out that instead of something, there were a lot of things. Painting and sculptures of all sorts poured out through the wall, each held a malicious aura and immediately made a grab for Ib and Garry. Ib however managed to avoid the crowds of art with Gary firmly in her grasp. The only thing on her mind right now was Garry's safety and the urgency of escape. She ran with such agility even with Gary at her side, the monsters had no chance at even touching them, but there were a few close calls. Finally with a huge leap Ib managed to get her and Garry to an empty hallway. The hallways had very disturbing paintings of a white face but otherwise they seemed harmless 'We escaped…' She thought before letting go of Garry and leaning over to catch her breath. Pride and relief swelled up in her and she smiled, they were safe, for now.

"We did it, we sure showed them!" Ib exclaimed happily.

She then walked over to him and attempted to put a hand on his head, but when she was about to Garry's posture slackened.

"Garry what's wrong?" She asked him.

Though she never did get a response for right then Garry's body hit the floor with a sickening thud.

"Garry!" Ib screamed, she felt panic consume her and her happiness fade away as she shook the lifeless body, trying to get him awake.

It was dark; there was nothing in the room but darkness "What happened?" Garry groaned while sitting up. 'Let's see I was with Ib, I saw the painting of my mom…and…and' Garry couldn't continue thinking of it, all he wanted was to curl and be with his mom again, he just wanted his mom, and for this nightmare to be over. As he was about to let loose the tears that were welling up in his eyes he saw a light flicker in the darkness. The light was faint but warm and inviting, however there was something wrong, it was like the light was almost…pretending to be warm. But at the same time Garry was drawn to it, after all it was something other than nothingness. And so he started walking toward it.

As he got closer Garry heard a voice coming from the light "You know you can't run away, but nothing goes well either, it's nice not to have to think, wouldn't you rather like to just forget the bad things?" The was a soft voice, but Garry could tell that something was off about it, the voice was almost forcing itself to speak in a tender tone.

Even if Garry figured that the voice was not letting on everything he couldn't help but take a few steps forward 'I-I guess that sounds good, to not have to be sad about not seeing mom...' Though somewhere in Garry's heart, he knew that's not what he wanted 'No, that's not right…if I can't think than I would lose all the good memories, sure there are bad memories, but there are also good memories to balance them out!' With that thought Garry felt a surge of courage and he stopped in his tracks while taking a breath.

"Even if she's not here, I still have to stay strong! I can't keep cowering in fear and longing for comfort. If I do that than I'll be nothing but a sad empty person, plus I also can't be selfish like that, if I leave now than Ib will be all alone, and that wouldn't be nice, to be all left alone. I've already been through that when I first arrived here, I wouldn't want her to feel the same for a second time…we…we need to depend on each other…and we…we will get out!" Garry told the light.

The voice and light didn't respond, instead the room got gradually lighter and lighter while the glowing light got darker. Garry felt his body lift up, and he was pretty sure the one thing that was making the room get lighter and diminishing the evil light, was his and Ib' friendship.

Garry shuffled in his semi sleep and soon found himself sitting up with a confused look on his face. He was in a room with a big painting on the wall, a couple of bookshelves, and a vase. An all too familiar greenish coat was also draped around him and for a second Garry brought the coat closer to him and buried his face in it, the coat was warm, soft, and smelled like Ib, or what he assumed Ib smelled like. Speaking of Ib Garry sat up straighter and looked around the room and was relieved to see a familiar tall figure pacing around. When Ib noticed he was awake her worried expression melted away and in its place was an expression of pure joy. Ib than made her way to Garry, leaned down, and gave him a hug. Garry was a little startled but relaxed in her embrace, her presence was very comforting, the dream and her being here made his spirit soar. After a few minutes Ib let go of him, smiled at him, and then ruffled his hair.

"How are you feeling Garry?" Ib asked him.

"Fine," Garry replied with a small smile.

"Good… and I'm sorry Garry," Ib apologized with a guilt ridden expression "I was just so focused on getting out of here...I didn't really look after you, again sorry Garry, but for now on we'll have each other's backs!"

Garry looked at her in surprise and enthusiastically nodded "It's fine Ib, and ya, we'll look out for each other for now on!"

His response made Ib beam and then look at him thoughtfully for a second "Garry, would you take a look in the pocket of that coat?" Ib asked.

Garry cocked his head a bit in wonder but nodded and checked the pocket. Inside was a piece of hard candy with a yellow wrapper, the label said it was lemon flavored.

"You can have that. Feel free to eat it," Ib informed him "Let's rest here a while longer before we set out again."

Garry's grin grew wider as he nodded and pocketed the candy. For a minute he just sat there and stretched his legs out. Although this wasn't the best time to relax given the whole 'paintings alive escape from the gallery' situation Garry couldn't help but think this was like a breath of fresh air. With regained determination and spirit Garry felt like he could do anything, and protect anyone at any cost. Just thinking about it made Garry antsy and soon he stood and picked up Ib's coat 'I'm ready, and this time I'll do my best and look out for Ib too!' Garry thought as he walked over to Ib and tugged on her arm to get her attention.

"Oh Garry are you ready to go?" Ib asked him.

Garry nodded and then handed Ib her coat "Oh thank you Garry, well now let's be off!"

Ib took Garry's hand and led them both out of the room. It seemed like the passage they were taking led them to a narrow hallway that felt cold and dreary. Garry shivered but was determined to make himself look strong, though that didn't stop him from scooching closer to Ib. Further down the hall there were numerous paintings stuck on the wall, but what caught Garry's attention was an all-white painting 'Why would you paint something all white' He thought before realizing there were little white puzzle pieces. Ib noticed Garry looking at the puzzle in a sort of bewildered way and walked to next to him.

"That's a milk puzzle," Ib informed him "Do you know that it is?"

Garry shook his head and gazed up at her, his purple eyes were gleaming with curiosity.

Ib smiled brightly at him and then began describing the framed puzzle "Milk puzzle well, as the name implies, is a puzzle where all the pieces are white like milk. Since there's no picture on them, they're much harder than regular puzzles. Very smart people can finish them in no time at all, but... To be honest, they're not exciting. Since they don't even make a picture in the end...It feels much more worth it to do a puzzle of a picture you like."

It took a second for Garry to process all the information before he nodded his head rapidly in agreement.

"I wonder why people would make these puzzles if they have no picture, like you said, making the picture is the whole point I figure out a puzzle," Garry replied.

Shrugging Ib took his hand before responding "I'm not sure, I guess people have different interests than others."

With that said Ib and Garry ventured through the hall. Along the way Ib spotted a door, it was red and the door knob felt oddly warm, but nonetheless Ib and Garry entered the room, hoping it may hold a clue on how to get out of here. The room was small but spacious with bookshelves covering each top left and right corner of the room. However there was also a painting on the back wall, though Garry and Ib paid no attention to it, and instead went to the bookshelves.

"How about we both search these bookshelves for any clues," Ib suggested.

Garry gave her a determined nod and went to one of the bookshelves. He traced his fingers over the book spines, making out some titles; most of them were long titles that were barely legible, like they were worn out with age. He did find one book that had a pretty clear title, but he couldn't read it for the title was a bunch a words he couldn't understand. Opening it to the first page Garry stared at the printed page with a confused look. Ib, noticing that Garry found a book walked over to him.

"What do you got there Garry?"

He tilted his head in confusion and shrugged, for he had no idea what it was. Ib peered over his shoulder and read what was on the page, and Garry tried to read it as well.

_? by the ? I ? my finger over her beautiful ? With her ? she-_

Was all he got to read before Ib reached over, took the book, and then shoved it back in the shelf while telling him "Um how about we go look at that painting over there?"

Garry was a little confused by this 'Why did Ib take the book away…maybe she didn't like it…' As curious as he was about the book Garry was a little more intrigued by the painting so he went along with it and went with Ib to go see that painting. The painting was very off-putting. There were streams of red fluid flowing through the painting only they were split apart and in the middle was a black humanoid shadow, the title of the painting was 'Seperation.'

"Oh my…" Ib breathed.

As soon as she said that, the light flickered and everything went dark. Panic immediately set foot in Garry 'What happened?! Where's Ib?'

The panic subsided a little when he heard Ib call out for him "Garry are you there?"

"I'm here!" He responded shakily.

"Oh that's a relief, stay where you are I'll try to find you!" Ib told him "Wait I forgot…I have a lighter."

After she said that Garry heard a clicking sound and then the whole room lit up, not from the lighter but from the regular lights, when the light returned however it wasn't a welcoming sight. The room was covered in unpleasant phrases and words that were written out in what seemed like crayon. Some of them were 'HELP DON'T KILL ME NO STOP DON'T.' A mannequin head was also near the painting but it seemed like there was a red liquid seeping out of its eyes. All this made Garry whimper and stagger back, Ib put a hand to her mouth to cover up a yelp while using the other hand to quickly put the lighter back in her coat pocket. When she put it back in her coat pocket Ib strode over to Garry who was to shocked to move, his legs felt like lead and he couldn't speak.

To try to comfort him Ib hugged him and whispered "It's all right…"

Her warm embrace made Garry calm down and regain the ability to move his legs. When Ib felt his shoulders relax she smiled and lead him out of the room. The hallway was equally more unsettling, for the wall was covered in a red fluid that made out a message:

**A notice to all visitors. There is a strict ban on fire starting implements in the gallery. We request that you please report the use of any matches, lighters, or the like. Should the use of such implements be reported to the staff.**

Garry looked at the message and then looked at Ib, his expression was hard to decipher.

"Um Ib, you're lighter…um," He started to say.

To try to make this situation a little less awkward Ib showed him the lighter and gave him a forced smile" This was my grandfather's lighter, it's an antique, I'm surprised this old thing still has oil in it, I keep at as a good luck charm…wouldn't think I would have to use it…and I don't think I should use it again…and you should never play with lighters either Garry, they are very dangerous."

From this experience Garry knew better than to play with lighters and quickly nodded his head "Alright."

Ib breathed a heavy sigh in relief and grabbed Garry's hand "Okay, let's get out of here."

The two eagerly tried to find a way out and were delighted to find another door leading out of the hallway. Opening the door Garry was met with a flash of green and yellow and by instinct he pushed it away with scream.

"Ahh!?" The blur yelled when Garry pushed it.

Upon the realization that the blur was actually a person Garry's eyes widened. Ib quickly went to the person's side "Are you okay?" She asked.

The former blur was a young girl that looked about Garry's age; she was wearing a green dress and blue scarf. Her curly golden locks tumbled down her backside and she was holding a yellow rose. When Ib went to her side the girl quickly stood up and backed away in apprehension.

"Hey wait…" Ib began when she saw the girl back away "Could you be one of the visitors from the gallery?"

"Ah!" The girl responded clearly surprised at the question.

"As I thought…my name is Ib and this is Garry," She introduced.

"We were in the art gallery, but then somehow found ourselves lost in this place...quite the predicament really...so now we're both trying to find a way out. Presumably, you're doing the same?" Ib explained.

"I...I was looking to see if there was anyone else too...I wanted to get out...so I..." The girl started to confess.

"As I thought," Ib interrupted with a kind smile "why don't you come with us? Three heads are better than two I guess to say. Also it's dangerous to be alone here, there are lots of strange creatures around here, so what do you say?"

"Alright," The girl replied with an even bigger smile.

"Excellent, now what's your name?" Ib than asked.

"Mary…"

"Ah what a beautiful name, well than Mary it's nice to meet you," Ib commented.

"Yeah, and it's nice to meet you too Ib and Garry" Mary said.

Delighted to have a new partner for this adventure Garry answered as politely as he could "It's also nice to meet you Mary."

His response caused Mary to clap her hands in delight.

"All right! Now that we have more company, we can proceed with our spirits high!" Ib declared.

Both Mary and Garry cheered, for it seemed the adventure has just begun.


End file.
